January 02, 2008	Wednesday	Zilhaj 22, 1428

SANGHAR/MIRPURKHAS, Jan 1: There is a severe shortage of flour in all major towns and suburbs of the district. At Jhol some shopkeepers were selling it inferior quality flour at Rs40 per kg.

Some wholesalers told Dawn that flour was in short supply but the situation worsened due to non-availability of transport. They said hundreds of trucks and trailers were torched on the National Highway during three days of riots.

They said no transporter was ready to take his vehicles to the interior of Sindh and even on being offered double the normal fare.

Before the disturbances flour was selling here at Rs22 to Rs25 per kg.

Shopkeepers expressed apprehensions that in case transport problem persisted for a few more days the price may to Rs50 and Rs60 per kg.

Price of ghee also went up from Rs15,00 to Rs17,00 for 16kg tin while sugar was being sold at Rs27 instead of Rs25 per kg.

Flour is being sold at Rs25 per kilogram in the city as well as other towns of the district due to negligence of the district government, reports our Mirpurkhas correspondent.

People were compelled to buy flour on an increased rate due to wheat shortage. Vice chairman of chakki association Mirpurkhas, Rasheed Ahmed Tally, however, deplored that the DCO and officers of food department did not keep their word of increasing the quota of wheat for chakkis, which resulted in shortage of flour.

He said that the government would not be able to overcome the flour crisis without increasing the quota of chakkis.